Casing head



y 1939- RECTOR v 2,159,401

. CASING HEAD Filed July 19 1957 grvucnk o Patented May 23, 1939 IUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASING HEAD Laurence L. Rector, Fort Worth,Tex.

Application July 19, 1937, Serial No. 154,411 5 Claims. (cl. 166-14)This invention relates to new and useful improvements in casing heads.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved casing headadapted to be secured to a well casing or other support and having meansfor supporting and packing of! around a string of pipe or well tubing.

An important object of the'invention is to provide an improved casinghead which is construct- 10 ed of a minimum number of parts, wherebymanuiacturing costs are reduced to a minimum; said device being readilyassembled or disassemblefli which facilitates handling thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide 16 an improved casing headformed of a tubular section of pipe having a collar screwed to its upperend, whereby the upper end of the pipe provides a support for the welltubing and the collar forms a packing chamber wherein pack- 20 ing mayencircle the tubing above the support to pack off therearound.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved casinghead wherein the tubing is supported on a split ring, there being a re-25 movable member mounted on the upper end of the head, which member notonly forms a packing chamber but also acts to prevent upwarddisplacement of the supporting ring; the member being so mounted that itmay be removed 80 without disturbing the ring or tubing.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood 35 from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and 40 partly in section, of acasing head, constructed in accordance with the invention, and

Figure 2 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view, taken on the line 2-4 ofFigure 1.

- In the drawing, the numeral l designates a 45 tubular body, which maybe a section of pipe. The body is externally screw-threaded at its upperend as shown "at H, while similar external screw-threads M are providedat the lower end thereof, whereby said body may be 50 screwed into theupper end of a well casing A or other support. The body it could, ifdesired, be an ordinary tubular connecting nipple such as is employedfor connecting two sections of a well casing or other pipe. Openings 92,which I55v are located diametrically opposite each other, are

drilled or formed in the wall of the body II at substantially mid-heightthereof and each opening is surrounded by an internally screw-threadedcollar I: which is secured to the body. by welding or otherwise.Obviously the collars l3 5 project radially from the outer surface ofthe body l0 and suitable outlet pipes I! may be threaded into thecollars I! to connect said pipe to the body. With such arrangement, itwill be obvious that the well fluid flowing upwardly through the casingA may enter the lower end of the body l0 and pass outwardly through theopenings I2 and pipes l5. Maniiestly, the openings I! provide the usualoutlet ports which are formed in the casing heads now on the open Imarket.

For supporting the well tubing B which extends axially through the wellcasing A, a split ring I6 is provided with an annular shoulder H at itsmarginal portion on the underside thereof. This shoulder is arranged toseat on the upper edge of the body In, as is clearly shown in Figure land it is preferable that the ring l8 be split so as to facilitate itsinsertion, ,as will be explained. The inner surface or the ring isprovided or formed with a recess l8 at its top and a fiber ring I9 isinserted in this recess. Although it is preferable to make the ring I9or fiber, it may be made of any elastic material. The well tubing 18extends downwardly through the split ring I6, there being only a slightclearance between the exterior surface of the tubing and said ring,whereby the coupling C connected in the tubing string cannot passthrough the ring. Therefore when the tubing B is lowered to a pointwhere the lower edge of its coupling C strikes the upper end of the ringIE, it will be evident that the tubing will be suspended from the ring.The lower edge 01' the coupling collar C not only engages the top of thesplit metallicring it, but also engages the ring is which is of aflexible material and therefore a seal between the" lower edge of thecoupling collar and its support is obtained.

I For packing off around the coupling collar C which is supported on thesplit ring 16 a collar or extension collar-20 has the lower'end of itsbore internally screw-threaded so as to be mounted on the upper end ofthe body M. The upper end of the collar is flared outwardly as isclearly 60 shown in Figure 1, so that it is thicker at its upper end. Aninwardly projecting annular flange 2! is preferably formed integral withthe bore of the collar 20 and when said collar is threaded onto theupper end or the body it, this top of the collar 20.

flange overhangs the split ring l6 so as to prevent upward displacementof said ring. The top of the inwardly projecting flange 2| also formsthe bottom of a packing chamber 22, wherein an elastic packing element23 which is made of rubber, rubber compound or other similar material,

-is mounted. By observing Figure 1, it will be evident that the packingmember or element 23 is confined between the bore of the collar 20 andthe outer surface of the coupling collar C. For deforming the packingelement 23 into sealing engagement with the surface of the collar C, aflanged packing gland 24 has its lower end engaging the topof the member23. Stud bolts 25 pass through the flange of the gland 24 and arethreaded into openings 26 provided in the Manifestly, when the bolts 25are tightened, the gland 24 is moved downwardly todeform the packingmember 23 into sealing engagement with the surface of the collar C,whereby pressure within the casing A and body I!) cannot escape upwardlypast the collar C.

From the above, it will be seen that a very simple and effective casinghead is formed. A minimum number of parts are employed and due to theconstruction of these parts, manufacturing costs are reduced to aminimum. The body I0 may be made of an ordinary connecting nipple whichhas the openings l2 drilled in its wall. The collars l3 which surroundthe openings l2 are readily attached to the body by welding orotherwise.

The collar 20 may be removed from the body Ill while the tubing B issupported by the split ring I6, whereby the packing element 23 may bereplaced without disturbing the tubing support. When it is desired toremove the split ring I6, it is only necessary to unscrew the collar 20and raise the tubing B so that the lower edge of the collar C'is liftedoil of the ring IS. The ring may then be readily removed and the tubingrun downwardly through the well casing. If it is desired to support thetubing by the coupling next above the collar C which is shown'in thedrawing, the split ring may be just as easily replaced to rest on theupper end of the body l0 whenever desired. The simplicity of the devicenot only reduces the manufacturing costs to a minimum but facilitateshandling of the device in actual operation.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A casing head including, a tubular body adapted to be mounted on awell casing and having a well'tubing extending therethrough, re-

, movable means resting on the upper end of the body for supporting thetubing within the body and casing, a collar mounted on the upper end ofthe body and extending upwardly above the tubing supporting means, an-internal flange within the bore of the collar immediately overhangingand confining said supporting means to prevent upward displacementthereof, a packing element within the bore of the collar resting on theflange and surrounding the tubing for packing off around said tubing,and means attached to, the collar fordeforming the packing element intosealing engagement with the tubing.

2. A casing head including, a'tubular body adapted to be mounted on awell casing and having a well tubing extending therethrough a splitmetallic ring resting on the upper end of the body and adapted to beengaged by the lower edge of one of the coupling collars of the welltubing whereby said tubing is suspended from the ring, a collar mountedon the upper end of the body and extending upwardly above the ring, aninwardly directed flange within the bore of the body overlying the ringto confine the same and prevent upward displacement thereof, and apacking element within the collar supported on the flange andsurrounding the tubing for packing oil around said tubing.

3. A casing head including, a tubular body adapted to be mounted on awell casing and having a well tubing extending therethrough a splitmetallic ring resting on the upper end of the body and adapted to beengaged by the lower edge of one of the coupling collars of the welltubing whereby said tubing is suspended from the ring, a collar mountedon the upper end of the body and extending upwardly above the ring, aninwardly directed flange within the bore of the body overlying the ringto confine the same and prevent upward displacement thereof, a

packing element within'the collar supported on theflange and surroundingthe tubing for packing'oif around said tubing, and a flangedpackthreaded on the upper end of the body and extending upwardly abovethe ring, an inwardly directed flange within the bore of the collaroverlying the ring to confine the same and pre vent upward displacementthereof, and a pack-- ing element within the collar supported on theflange and surrounding the tubing for packing off around said tubing.

5. A casing head comprising a body member having outlet conductorconnecting means and adapted to be mounted on a well casing and have awell tubing extending therethrough, a coupling collar connectingsections of the well tubing, a

supporting and packing member resting on the body member and engagingthe lower end of said well tube coupling collar to support and .seal thesame, an extension collar removably secured to the upper portion of saidbody member and encasing said supporting and packing. member, aninternal flange within said extension collar adapted to immediatelyoverhand said supporting and packing member when the extension collar issecured in position on the body member and thereby prevent upwarddisplacement of the supporting and packing member, a second packing. andsealing means secured within the upperportion of the extension collaragainst the upper side of the internal flange thereof and also insealing engagement with the well tube coupling collar.

LAURENCE L. RECTOR.

CERTIFICATE OF combmxbn, mm no. 2,159,501 Hay a 19 9. munmcnn. mm.-

It ia'horby certifloa that error appears in the printed specification ofthe above mmb'ered patent raquiriug brroction as fo1lona: Page 2, aceandcolumn; 11:10 60, claim 5, for 'mrarhand" read overhang; and that the.said Lgttera Patent should b6 read with this correction tharain that thesame may-conform to tharecord ot-tha gale in the Patent Office.

si ned an sealed thia 22m M or August, A., n. 19 9.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) I acting 00ml aaionor or Patonta

